A New Life
by Jaudreylover24
Summary: Audrey has managed to move on after coming home from China well kind of. She knows that she will always be missing something unless jack comes back. But, maybe that day is closer than ever expected. Takes place after season 7. I prefer deleting season 8 from my memory so this will not lead into season 8 whatsoever.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Here's a new one. I hope you like it. We really need more Jack and Audrey stories! Enjoy and Review._

Chapter 1

"Babe, where's the tie I set out last night?" the handsome, well-built man asked pacing around the room.

Audrey was at the kitchen table drinking coffee. She took a sip having to think back to the night before. It was times like these that reminded her of the ordeal she'd been through. It was so hard to remember things from a day ago or a couple days ago. "I don't remember moving it. It was on the couch right?"

"Yeah, but it's not there now," the man said. Audrey stood up and walked over to the couch. She pulled one of the couch cushions off to reveal the tie that had obviously sunk into them. She picked it up and walked towards the man and draped the tie around his neck. She tied it for him and then kissed him.

"I love you, Audrey," the man said.

"Chris," Audrey said, sounding guilty.

"I know, I know. I just can't help myself," Chris said, sadly. He truly did love her. He had never been so happy in his entire life. But, he could tell Audrey didn't feel the same way. He tried to convince himself that things would change. Deep down, however, he knew they wouldn't.

Audrey had a tendency to keep her distance. It was obvious to Chris that she didn't trust many people. He didn't know why. Perhaps, some ass-hole had hurt her too badly before. He never asked. Whatever her secret was, he knew she would tell him when she was ready.

"I have to go to work. I'll see you for lunch?" He asked.

"Of course," Audrey said. She gave him a quick kiss before he left. Then, she sat down and cried. She wished that he would stop doing that. Telling her how much he loved her. She always felt bad when she couldn't say it back.

Truth be told, Audrey was happy. Incredibly happy. But, she always knew her heart would belong to someone else. Jack. She would never love Chris that way. But, maybe what she had with Chris would be the closest thing to the love she had for Jack.

She heard the phone ring and wiped her eyes. "Hello?"

"Hey," Chloe said from the other line. "I was wondering if you could come watch Prescott today. Morris and I both have to work."

"Of course," Audrey said. "I'll be there in twenty."

Audrey grabbed her purse and her cell phone and grabbed a cab. On her way, she called Chris to tell him that she wouldn't be able to meet him for lunch. When she got to Chloe's, she let herself inside. Chloe said a quick goodbye to Prescott and gave Audrey a small wave before leaving.

"So, what do you want to do today, Pres?" Audrey asked.

"Let's go look for worms!" Prescott suggested.

Audrey cringed, "I will never understand how that could be fun."

"It is," he insisted. "Especially when you dissect them."

Prescott ran to his bedroom and grabbed a plastic container with small holes at the top. He ran outside and Audrey followed him. Prescott stopped at the edge of the yard and picked up dirt in his hand. He put it in the container. Audrey helped him. Then Prescott lifted up a small rock to find a ton of earthworms trying to plow their way into the cool soil. Prescott picked them up as fast as he could and put them in the container.

They continued to find and dissect the worms until Audrey suggested they have lunch. Prescott agreed and followed Audrey inside. Audrey washed her hands and told Prescott to do the same. He did so as quickly as he could and Audrey sent him back into the bathroom to get all the dirt off. Audrey made mac n' cheese for them.

After lunch, Prescott took out his matchbox cars and had him and Audrey race them. Chloe and Morris ended up getting home at the same time.

"Hey," Morris said when he walked in. "How was your day?"

"Awesome!" Prescott said. "We caught worms."

"I'm sure that's exactly what Audrey wanted to do," Chloe said, sarcastically. Prescott was already outside with Morris showing him the worms. "I swear he is the most energetic kid ever. Thank god Morris can keep up with him. I certainly can't."

Audrey smiled. "I think all kids are like that."

Chloe nodded. She walked into the kitchen and Audrey followed. "Want something to drink?"

Chloe was already pouring herself a glass of wine and Audrey said she'd have the same. Chloe handed her a glass and they sat down.

"How was work?" Audrey asked. She missed work a lot. Her brain just didn't work fast enough for that kind of job anymore.

"Um," Chloe said. "We didn't have any big massacres. So, good I guess."

"You wouldn't tell me even if there was," Audrey said. She and Chloe had never been close before the Chinese kidnapped Jack. But, their attempts to find him had brought them closer together. Audrey considered Chloe as her only friend. She hadn't really talked much to the friends she had before China.

And after China, Chloe helped her get back on her feet. Audrey thought Chloe only helped her because she felt bad for her and felt guilty for not stopping her from leaving. Chloe however found Audrey to be one the least annoying people in the world.

"I'm just protecting you," Chloe said.

"I don't need people to protect me. And, how exactly does not telling me when something big is going on protect me?" Audrey pointed out.

"I know you. If I tell you what's going on, you'll want to work again. And, nothing seems to go your way when it comes to CTU," Chloe said.

"But, this is CTU New York, not Los Angeles. Maybe it's supposed to bring me good luck," Audrey said.

"You have good luck. Right now without CTU screwing things up for you," Chloe said. She knew the only reason Audrey wanted to go to CTU was in hopes that she might see Jack. Jack was retired now so there wasn't a chance of that happening but Chloe didn't think Audrey should go back anyways. She had been through so much and things always seemed to go wrong at CTU. Now that Chloe thought about it she figured she should start thinking about getting out of there.

"Yeah? Name one thing in my life that's really good," Audrey dared.

"What about Chris?" Chloe said seeming like that was an obvious answer.

"Oh yeah," Audrey said. She felt guilty for forgetting about him. She bit her lower lip trying to think of something she could say as to why he didn't immediately come to mind.

"I'm going to go," Audrey said. "Chris will be home in an hour. I'm going to make him a nice dinner."

"Okay," Chloe said walking Audrey to the door, "here's some money for watching Prescott. Don't even try to give it back."

Chloe shut the door before Audrey could give her the money back. Audrey sighed and walked out to the street. Audrey walked home instead of taking a cab. She stopped at a grocery store and picked up some steaks for dinner.

She got home around five and started cooking. Chris came home about thirty minutes later. He went behind Audrey and put his hands on her hips and put his head down to kiss her shoulder. Audrey smiled and turned around placing her arms around his neck.

"How was work today?" Audrey asked.

"Just like every other day," he said. Audrey kissed him passionately. When she finally pulled away, Chris was smiling slightly. He indicated towards the food. "What's all this for?"

"I thought I'd cook for you since you cook all the time," Audrey said.

"I honestly didn't even know you could cook," Chris said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Audrey said, mysteriously.

"Maybe you should fill me in," Chris said, completely serious. Audrey ignored him and told him to sit down and relax. He sat down at the table and watched as Audrey finished cooking. When the food was ready they sat down to eat.

"How was Prescott today?" Chris asked.

"He's so adorable. Except, he likes catching worms. That's just too gross for me," Audrey said.

Chris laughed, "You're such a girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Audrey asked, pretending to be offended. Chris just leaned towards her and kissed her.

After pulling away, they ate the next couple bites in silence. "Audrey," Chris said breaking the silence first.

"Yeah," Audrey replied.

"How come you and your husband never had kids?" Chris asked.

"I don't know," Audrey said. "He was away a lot for work and I just worked a lot."

"Do you wish that you'd had kids?" Chris asked.

"I don't know. I don't really like thinking about it," Audrey said. "Thinking about it doesn't change anything."

"Sorry," Chris said.

"Speaking of kids," Audrey started. "How's yours?"

"Actually Steve called today," Chris said. "He wants to know if we can go over on Saturday."

"We?" Audrey asked. "As in you're taking me?"

"Well we have been dating for almost a year now," Chris pointed out. "You should meet him at some point."

"What if he doesn't like me?" Audrey asked.

"He's twenty-eight years old, not an annoying little kid. He has a wife and a daughter," Chris said. "And, besides, nobody could possibly hate you."

"You're so sweet," Audrey said. "Okay. We'll go on Saturday."

"Thanks," Chris said. He leaned over to kiss Audrey. "I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. I've been trying to take my time with this story because i don't want to mess it up like i think i did with my other stories. Please review!_

Chapter 2

"Are you sure about this?" Audrey asked when they got in the car on Saturday.

"Yes," Chris said. "Positive. Oh, I forgot Teri's present on the table. I'll be right back."

Audrey sighed. She wasn't ready for this. It was Chris's granddaughter's birthday and the last thing Audrey wanted to do was ruin it. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down as Chris got back into the car and started it.

"You okay?" Chris asked. Audrey nodded reluctantly. "Everyone's going to like you."

Audrey nodded again and Chris started to drive. They pulled up to a pretty little house in the suburbs and got out. Chris led Audrey to the door and knocked. Steve came to open it for them and Chris introduced Audrey. They said hello and exchanged a he's-talked-about-you-a-lot conversation.

A woman started walking towards them from the dark hallway. Steve gestured towards her. "Audrey, this is my wife, Kim."

The woman's face came into the light and Audrey tried hard to keep from falling over. Kim Bauer. She looked exactly the same except older and more mature.

"Are you okay, Audrey?" Chris asked.

"Fine," Audrey lied. She didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to admit to knowing Kim already and get badgered with questions from Chris all night? She had been trying so hard to keep any mention of Jack out of her life with Chris.

Luckily, Kim made the decision for her. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Audrey said, shaking Kim's hand. Audrey gave Kim a look of relief to say thank you.

"Let's go into the living room," Kim suggested. The four of them started walking into the other room but Kim stopped Audrey for a second. "He's in there."

That was all she had to say. Audrey braced herself. She silently thanked Kim for warning her. She never would have guessed Jack would be there. Weren't he and Kim on bad terms?

Audrey grabbed Chris's hand before walking in and they sat down in two empty chairs. Audrey didn't dare look around until she was seated. She cautiously lifted her eyes afraid of what might happen when she sees him again.

He was sitting directly across from her and Audrey could tell he was trying not to look at her and focus his attention on Kim who was whispering something to him.

"Everyone this is my dad, Chris, and his girlfriend, Audrey," Steve said. He then went around the room saying who was who. When they got to Jack, Audrey shifted nervously.

"And, this is Kim's dad, Jack," Steve said. Audrey looked at Chris who had obviously not met Jack and some of the other guests. They said brief hellos but Audrey remained silent.

"Where's Teri?" Chris asked.

"She's probably scoping out the cake," Kim said. She went into the kitchen and when she came back had Teri walking behind her with frosting on her face.

"Grandpa!" Teri said excitedly, running over to Chris. Chris picked her up.

"You got a little frosting right there," he said wiping it off for her. He said happy birthday to the little girl and then introduced her to Audrey. Teri said a shy hello and then turned back to Chris.

She heard Chris talking to Teri in a loving grandfatherly way and wondered if Jack was like that. Part of her could picture him playing girly games with Teri and the other part couldn't see it at all. She turned her head away from Chris and Teri. She dared to look at him and when she did, she found his eyes already locked on hers. Neither of them wanted to look away. They were both mesmerized by one another. Audrey finally managed to look away after several seconds.

A few hours later, after cake and presents, many of the guests went home. Teri asked Chris and Jack to play with her in the sandbox outside, which of course, they did. Steve stayed inside to clean up.

"Want to go sit outside?" Kim asked Audrey.

"Sure," Audrey agreed. They sat down on the deck outside and watched as Jack and Chris played with Teri. They sat silently for a minute.

"Awkward huh?" Kim asked breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Audrey said. She had been doing really well with holding her feelings back but now she couldn't help but feel tears coming to her eyes.

"What happened between you two anyways?" Kim asked.

"I could ask the same thing to you," Audrey said.

"I went looking for my dad after he came home from China. Couldn't find him anywhere. Anyways, when I did find him-well actually someone called me- he was sick. He needed a bone marrow transplant. But, he told me to leave and not to help him. Basically said he was okay with dying," Kim explained. "I don't know how much of this he would want you to know. But, I ended up helping him despite what he wanted. I told him about Steve and Teri and he's been back in my life ever since. Your turn."

"I wish I could explain it to you," Audrey said. "But, I honestly don't understand it myself."

"Why not?" Kim asked. "Well, at least, who broke up with who?"

"I don't think I was physically capable of breaking up with him. I was sedated when he left," Audrey said.

"What for?" Kim asked.

"The Chinese really messed me up, Kim," Audrey told her.

"You were in China too?" Kim asked.

"You didn't know?" Audrey asked. I guess Jack never really talked about her. "I went to save him. But, just got myself in trouble. He ended up saving me, actually."

Kim looked confused. "If you tried to save him, then why the hell would he break up with you?"

"Great question," Audrey said. "Think you could ask him and get back to me on that?"

Kim laughed. "I'll see what I can do. Or, you could ask him yourself."

Audrey sighed and looked out to the sandbox. The two men and Teri were getting. Jack grabbed a towel and wiped the sand off of Teri. By the look on Teri's face, Audrey could tell she and Jack were close. Teri started running up to the deck.

"Mommy, mommy, look at our sandcastle," Teri said pointing to the sandbox.

"Wow," Kim said picking her up. "It's huge."

The five of them went inside and Teri was talking about all the new toys she got that she wanted to play with tomorrow. She turned to Chris. "Grandpa, will you come play with me tomorrow?"

"I wish I could, sweetheart, but I have to work," Chris told her.

"Will you?" Teri asked turning to Audrey. Audrey smiled and looked to Chris who gave her a reassuring nod.

"I'd love to," Audrey said.

"Great," Teri said. She looked at Jack. "Grandpa is coming over too!"

Audrey held back a sigh and told the girl that she couldn't wait. She looked at Jack who had a smirk on his face. She figured he was enjoying watching her suffer like this. God, what she'd do to slap that stupid, amazing smirk that she had fallen in love with off his face. She and Chris left shortly after and Chris continued to tell her how much he thought his family loved her. She smiled and nodded but mostly was just dreading tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Here it is. Thanks to Rainybamboo and Franz F for reviewing. Reviews are what keep me writing. Enjoy!_

Chapter 3

Audrey got to Steve and Kim's at nine-thirty to play with Teri. Jack got there at the same time. He smiled at her politely as he opened the front door for her.

"Thanks," Audrey mumbled.

"Yeah," Jack said, following her inside. He called out, "Kim?"

"In here," Kim called from the kitchen. "I'm going to go grocery shopping and Steve had an important meeting today."

She looked down to Teri who was eating breakfast. "Bye, sweetheart. Be good. Bye Dad. Bye Audrey."

Audrey sighed and sat down next to Teri. Teri took her last bite of cereal, and Jack picked up the bowl and put it in the dishwasher.

"What do you want to do first, Teri?" Audrey asked.

"We can play with my dolls!" Teri exclaimed. She stood up and grabbed Audrey's hand to show her the dolls. "Come on, grandpa."

Teri started taking the dolls out and playing with them and as time went by Audrey realized how good Jack was with Teri. The thought made her smile. When Teri finally got bored, she decided she wanted to watch a movie. She picked out _The Little Mermaid._ Teri sat in the middle of the couch, and Jack and Audrey sat on opposite sides of her. Audrey couldn't stop herself from looking over Teri's head at Jack and found that when she did Jack was already looking at her anyways.

When the movie was finished, Teri was almost asleep. She was leaning against Jack's chest, and Jack held her close.

"Do you want to take a nap in your bed or on the couch?" Jack asked her.

"I'm not tired," she said, groggily.

Jack picked her up, "I'll be right back."

Audrey nodded. Jack carried Teri upstairs. She braced herself for what was coming. She and Jack were going to be alone for the first time in a long time. She was nervous. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask but didn't want to know the answers to. Should she pretend like she doesn't care about their break up? Or, let him see how messed up she really was? She looked at her reflection in the television and fixed her hair. She cursed herself for doing so. She didn't care if she looked bad for him. She had Chris now.

Jack walked down the stairs and sat down on the couch in the same spot as before. Audrey was glad that he didn't sit any closer. She'd probably just fall into his arms if he had.

"She only sleeps for about forty-five minutes," Jack said.

"She's cute. Full of energy too," Audrey said, trying to steer the conversation.

"Audrey," Jack said. Audrey felt her heart skip a beat when he said it.

"What?" Audrey asked.

Jack didn't know where he was going with this yet. "How have you been?"

This question made Audrey mad. "Are you serious? I went looking for you. For you, Jack. And, it was a stupid thing to do. I know that now. But, I really needed someone to help me through everything. To help me remember. I needed you. And, you left. So, you tell me how I've been because I'm so messed up that I don't even know anymore."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, feeling guilty. "You know why though, right? Why I left."

"No," Audrey said, sadly. "I don't"

"Do you want to know?" Jack asked.

"If I wanted to, I'd ask," Audrey said.

"So you would rather just assume that I left you for no good reason?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Audrey said. "It's better than knowing and having it be something I could have changed. I don't want to think about it and think of a million ways it could have gone differently between us if I had just known."

"Knowing you," Jack said with a slight smile. "You've probably already done that."

"Fine," Audrey said. "Tell me. Tell me everything that happened."

"I left to protect you. You're never going to be safe with me, Audrey," Jack said. "I wanted you to have a new life. One where you would be really happy. Because, I love you."

"Loved," Audrey corrected. "Because, you loved me. Not love."

"No, love was right," Jack said.

"I guess you and I have different definitions of love, darling," Audrey said. "For me, love is when you spend a year and a half grieving for someone you think is dead and then forgiving him when he miraculously come alive. Love is when he disappears after a day and I throw my entire life into finding him and leave to rescue him getting myself into a bunch of trouble in the process. Should I continue?"

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

"You were right, though," Audrey said. "I was able to start a new life."

"With Chris?" Jack asked with a smile.

"Yes," Audrey said. Jack laughed. "What?"

"You're not in love with him," Jack said.

"What? Yes, I am," Audrey lied. Audrey's cell rang and she picked it up. It was Chris.

Jack listened in carefully. Audrey answered, "Hey."

He couldn't hear Chris's side. Audrey said, "Oh, she's great. Really sweet."

Audrey listened to what Chris was saying but was also watching Jack who now had a piece of paper and a pen. He held up what he was writing: _Tell him how much you love him_.

When Chris finished talking, Audrey responded to what he was saying. Just when Audrey was about to hang up she heard Chris say, "I love you."

Audrey glanced up at Jack, and Jack knew what Chris must've said. Audrey responded, "Um, okay. See you tonight." She hung up.

"Ouch," Jack said.

"Shut up," Audrey said, standing up. "Why are you being such a jerk?"

"You really want to know?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Audrey said. Jack stood up and walked right up close to her. Audrey tensed up.

He whispered in her ear, "Because I am incredibly jealous."

His rough voice sent shivers down Audrey's spine. She was about to come up with a comeback but Jack was already on his way upstairs to see if Teri was awake yet. Audrey thought about what Jack had said. Was he really jealous? He broke up with her, he shouldn't be jealous. And, why was he jealous? He knew full well that Audrey wasn't in love with Chris.

When he came back down with Teri, the two of them avoided talking to each other as much as possible. When Kim came home after running errands, Audrey left. She promised Teri that she and Chris would both go over tomorrow. She just hoped Jack wouldn't.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Are you going to stay for dinner, dad?" Steve asked Chris. Chris and Audrey had spent several hours with Teri.

Chris looked at Audrey who was entertaining Teri. "Sure."

"Teri really likes Audrey," Steve said.

"She's amazing," Chris told him.

"You guys have been together for almost a year," Steve said. "Are you gonna ask her to marry you?"

"She's not ready for that," Chris said,

"But, you are?" Steve asked. Chris nodded and went back to Teri and Audrey.

Audrey was glad Jack didn't go over today. She was not ready to see him again. Especially not with Chris around. Of course, she thought of this too soon as Jack walked in. He went in the kitchen, and Audrey heard him ask if Kim if she needed help. Obviously Kim said no because Jack walked into the living room seconds later. Teri stood up and ran over to Jack. He picked her up and kissed her on the cheek.

"Ready for dinner?" Jack asked her.

"Yeah," Teri said. Jack carried her to the kitchen, and Chris and Audrey followed them. When dinner was put on the table, everyone sat down.

"So, Audrey, have you lived in New York for a while?" Steve asked making conversation.

"Well, I grew up in Albany. But, I only moved back to New York about a year and a half ago," Audrey said.

"Where did you move from?" Steve asked.

"D.C." Audrey said.

"How did you guys meet?" Jack asked indicating to Chris. Audrey glared at him just enough for him to see.

Chris answered. "I'm a doctor. Audrey came to the hospital needing a brain scan."

"What for?" Steve asked.

"You know, you never did tell me why," Chris said to Audrey.

"Oh yeah," Audrey said. "I guess I didn't."

"So why?" Chris asked.

"Just a checkup," Audrey said.

Chris was about to question her more when Jack changed the subject. "So, Teri, are you looking forward to kindergarten on Monday?"

"No," Teri said. "I like playing with you guys."

"You get to play a lot in kindergarten, too," Kim told her.

"But, I want to play here," Teri said.

"In kindergarten, you get to make friends who are the same age as you," Audrey said.

"What if I don't?" Teri asked. "Can I stay here and play with you guys forever?"

"You will," Steve said.

"Did you guys like kindergarten?" Teri asked. Everyone said they did and told her stories to convince her that it would be fun.

After dinner, everyone went to the living room. Later, Teri went to bed. The adults talked over drinks, and Steve asked Audrey a lot of questions.

"She's not a murder suspect, Steve," Chris said, after a while.

"I just want to get to know her," Steve said innocently.

"It's alright, Chris," Audrey said, smiling.

Steve continued. "Does your family live in New York too?"

"No," Audrey said. "My dad lives in D.C. and I don't talk to him very much anymore. And, I have a brother who I'm not really close with."

"No kids?" Steve asked.

"Nope," Audrey replied.

"Were you ever married?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said. "But, he died."

"I'm sorry," Steve said.

"Don't be," Audrey told him. "We were separated at that point anyways. Made it easier to cope."

"Have you been with anyone since then?" Steve asked.

"Not really," Audrey lied. She looked to Jack who was pretending to be uninterested in the conversation. She could tell Steve was about to ask her more questions when Chris's pager went off.

"It's the hospital," Chris said. "I have to go."

He and Audrey stood up to leave but Steve asked Audrey if she wanted to stay.

"I can drive you home later," Steve offered. Audrey agreed and let Steve ask her more questions. About an hour later, Steve offered to drive Audrey home.

"Well, I'm leaving now anyways if you want me to drive her," Jack suggested.

"Audrey?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," She said. She and Jack went outside to his car. Jack reached for her door handle to get the door for her, but Audrey got to it first.

"I can open my own door, thanks," Audrey said, getting in. Jack got in on his side and started the car.

"I was just trying to be nice," Jack said.

"Yeah," Audrey said. "Well, stop it."

"So you want me to be an ass?" Jack asked.

"No," Audrey said. "I just don't want you to be nice either."

"That doesn't make sense," Jack said.

"Neither does you covering for me," Audrey said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Changing the subject when Chris asked me why I needed a brain scan or just in general when you don't speak up about us being together," Audrey said.

"Do you want me to?" Jack asked. "Cause I thought you didn't want him to know about us."

"I don't. And, he'd probably break up with me if he knew because I've lied to him for so long. Which is why I can't figure you out," Audrey explained. "You said you were jealous. And, if you told Chris he'd leave and you'd have a better shot of making things work between us. So, why haven't you?"

"Because you'd hate me if I told him," Jack said. "But, I do think you should tell him."

"Yeah sure," Audrey said.

"So, you don't talk with your father anymore?" Jack asked.

"No," Audrey said.

"Why not?" Jack asked.

Audrey contemplated whether or not to tell him. "I know it was your choice to leave or whatever, but I think he should've convinced you to stay. And, I'm mad that he just sat there and let you leave me."

Jack laughed a little. "That never would've happened."

"Good to know you were so determined to leave," Audrey said under her breath.

"No," Jack said. "I meant-never mind."

"No, now you have to tell me," Audrey said.

"Your father never would have tried to convince me to stay because he was the one who convinced me to leave," Jack told her.

"What?" Audrey asked.

"I wasn't going to tell you, but I also never planned on seeing you again," Jack said.

"What could he have possibly said that made you leave?" Audrey asked, now on the verge of tears.

"It doesn't matter," Jack said.

"Please," Audrey begged. "It matters to me."

"Just stuff about how what happened to you was my fault, and he said I was cursed and that everyone dies when I'm around," Jack said.

"I'm so sorry," Audrey said, tears now falling from her eyes. "You shouldn't have listened. He was wrong."

"No he wasn't," Jack said. He saw Audrey starting to cry and pulled over. "It was a horrible thing to say, but he was right."

"No," Audrey said, wiping tears away.

"I'm sorry," Jack said. "I never should have told you any of that."

"I'm glad you did," Audrey said looking up at him. Jack brought his hand to Audrey's face to wipe away a tear. Once the tears were gone, he kept his hand where it was, cupping Audrey's cheek. Audrey leaned forward carefully and kissed Jack. Jack kissed her back, remembering every kiss they'd shared until he remembered that Audrey had a boyfriend. He pulled away quickly.

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

"I kissed you," Audrey said. "So, I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Okay," Jack said, pulling back out into traffic.

"But, I'm not sorry," Audrey admitted.

"You're not?" Jack asked.

"No," Audrey said. "Does that make me a bad person? God, Chris is going to hate me."

"You're going to tell him?" Jack asked.

"I don't know yet. I didn't exactly think all of this through," Audrey said.

"Look, I understand if you stay with him," Jack said. "But, please don't. I'm so in love with you."

They pulled up to Audrey's place, and Audrey went inside trying to decide what to do.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Enjoy and Review._

Chapter 5

"What should I do?" Audrey asked Chloe over the phone.

"What makes you think I know?" Chloe asked her.

"Because you're Chloe. You're supposed to know everything," Audrey said.

"Yeah when it comes to computers, not your relationship issues," Chloe said. "But, why wouldn't you choose Jack? You've wanted him back for so long now."

"I know I have. But, it's been such a long time. I've been dreaming of different ways we could get back together and how amazing our lives would be after that and what if it's not as good as I expected? And, what if he leaves me again? And, what about Chris? How weird will those family get-togethers be if I went from one of Teri's grandfathers to the other?"

"I guess that would be strange," Chloe said. "Well I'm going to hang up now."

"Wait!" Audrey begged. "I still don't know what to do."

"And, nothing I say will help you make a decision," Chloe said. "If I say Jack you'll give me all the reasons not to be with him and if I say Chris you'll give all the reasons you should be with Jack."

"Chloe," Audrey said.

"I'm not done," Chloe said. "You never give any reason as to why you should be with Chris. So, if you want my opinion, you should choose Jack. You're never going to be in love with anyone else."

Audrey heard Chloe hang up before she could reply. She went to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower to clear her head. She got out just as Chris walked through the door.

"Hey," Chris said walking over to Audrey and kissing her.

"Hi," Audrey said.

"How was the rest of your night?" Chris asked.

"Fine," Audrey said. "But, I need to tell you something."

"What?" Chris asked.

"We should sit," Audrey said.

"Is everything okay?" Chris asked.

Audrey ignored his question. "A long time ago, when my husband and I were separated, I was seeing someone."

"Okay," Chris said, confused. "Why are you telling me this? Not that I'm complaining because you never tell me about your ex-boyfriends."

"Just listen," Audrey said. "When my husband died, my boyfriend died too."

"I'm so sorry," Chris said.

"He wasn't really dead. I didn't know it at the time but he was just faking it because the Chinese government was trying to find him," Audrey explained.

"That's confusing," Chris said. "Why were they looking for him?"

"He had information, but that's not important right now," Audrey said. "He came back a year and a half later for one day before getting taken by the Chinese to a Chinese prison. I went looking for him in China."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Because I was still madly in love with him," Audrey said.

"After all that time?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said. "And, I was captured by the Chinese too. That's why I have so many scars and why I needed a brain scan. They really messed me up."

"You're perfect," Chris said.

"No," Audrey said. "Anyway, Jack was released from the prison before me."

"I'm guessing Jack was your boyfriend's name," Chris said.

"Yes," Audrey said. "He was released, and then he saved me. And then he left me."

"How long ago was that?" Chris asked.

"I guess about two and a half years ago," Audrey said.

"And then you met me," Chris said. "He's the reason you aren't in love with me?"

"Yes," Audrey admitted.

"So, why did you tell me all of this?" Chris asked.

"Because Jack is Kim's dad," Audrey said.

Chris wiped his hand over his face. "You're still in love with him."

Audrey didn't need to answer. "I'm sorry."

"What if you hadn't seen him again? Would you have just pretended to love me?" Chris asked.

"No," Audrey said.

"You would've just strung me along. Made me think that one day you might love me," Chris said.

"Chris, I really did think that I could love you. I just thought it would take some time," Audrey said.

"So when did you realize you couldn't? The first time you saw him at Steve and Kim's? Or, the next day? Or, today?"

"Today," Audrey said. "He drove me home, and I kissed him."

"You kissed him?" Chris asked.

"I'm so sorry," Audrey said.

"Are you sorry because you want my forgiveness or because you're breaking up with me?" Chris asked.

"I've always been in love with Jack. We're supposed to be together," Audrey said.

"Okay," Chris said, sadly. He stood up. "You can stay tonight. But, please leave tomorrow."

"Thanks," Audrey said.

The next morning, Audrey started packing up her things, and Chris watched her, as he got ready for work.

"Audrey," Chris said.

"Yeah?" Audrey asked.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk last night," Chris said.

"You weren't being a jerk, Chris," Audrey said. "You had every right to be mad."

"No," Chris said. "It's not your fault that you're in love with him."

"Thanks," Audrey said. She grabbed her bags that were now all packed. "You're a good guy, Chris. Just not my guy."

He walked her to a cab and helped her put her bags in. She got in and told the driver to just drive for a little while.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 6

Ten minutes later, Audrey walked up to Kim's front door. She knocked and Kim answered.

"Hey," Kim said. "I didn't know you were coming today. Come in."

"No, that's okay. I'm looking for your dad," Audrey said. "Is he here?"

"No," Kim said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah fine," Audrey said. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"He lives in the apartment building about five blocks that way," Kim said pointing down the road. "It's 23A."

"Thanks," Audrey said, turning back towards the cab. She got in and told the driver where to go. When he pulled up outside the building, Audrey paid him and took her stuff out of the trunk. Audrey found Jack's apartment as quickly as she could and knocked.

"Hey," Jack said, seeing Audrey with her things. He tried not to show how happy he was that she was here.

"These bags are heavy," Audrey said. Jack grabbed some of them from her and brought them inside. Audrey followed him in and put her bags down. "I broke up with Chris."

"I thought you just brought all your stuff here for fun," Jack said. Audrey smiled which made Jack smile. He came closer to her and put his arms around her, closing the space between them. He ran one hand down her hair, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"God, I missed you," Jack said, kissing the top of her head. He let go of her so he could kiss her lips instead and found that she was crying. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I just hate that we've wasted so much time that we could have spent together," Audrey said. "And, I feel bad about Chris. What if this isn't a good idea? Maybe we're not supposed to be together, as much I hate thinking that."

"Stop," Jack said. "We are supposed to be together. Think of the hell we've been through together and after all this time, I'm still madly in love with you. And, I know you love me too. We wouldn't be so in love with each other still if we weren't supposed to be together.

"And, as for Chris, it's better for him. He can find someone who he loves and who loves him back. Maybe they'll love each other just as much as we do. Trust me, Audrey, this is a good idea."

Audrey wiped away a tear, but Jack put his hands on her face to take over. Then, he kissed her passionately. Audrey deepened the kiss, thinking about how she couldn't possibly love Jack anymore than she did right now. Jack's hands found their way to Audrey's hips and then lifted up slowly, pushing Audrey's shirt up. Jack stopped kissing her for a minute and looked into her eyes. Audrey could tell that he was silently asking her permission, and she replied by pushing her lips to his again. Jack lifted her shirt over her head and kissed the newly exposed skin. He reached for her bra clasp and gently took it off of her.

Jack went for Audrey's breasts, and Audrey moaned in delight. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, they were both naked, and Jack gently, but urgently pushed Audrey against the wall and made love to her. When it was over, they sat on the floor, holding each other close.

"I missed you," Audrey said.

"I missed you, too," Jack said.

"Maybe next time, we can use the bed," Audrey suggested.

"Next time?" Jack asked, with a smirk. "Can that be soon?"

"How soon are we talking?" Audrey asked.

"Like now?" Jack asked.

"Sure you're up for it?" Audrey asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, you're not as young as you once were," Audrey joked, standing up and offering a hand to Jack for him to stand up.

"I can get up on my own, thank you very much," Jack said. "And, you're just as old as I am."

"Hey," Audrey said. "You expect me to sleep with you with comments like that?"

"Just the truth," Jack pointed out. They made their way to the bedroom and made love again. Afterwards, Jack's cellphone rang, and Jack answered it.

"Hello?" Jack said.

"Dad, it's Kim. Can you come watch Teri?"

"Yeah," Jack said, getting up to find clothes. "I'll be there soon."

"Thanks," Kim said. "By the way, Audrey came over looking for you. Did she find you?"

"Yeah," Jack said.

"Was everything okay?" Kim asked.

"Fine," Jack said. "I'll be there soon."

He hung up and told Audrey that he had to go. She kissed him goodbye and he left. Audrey put her clothes back on and looked around the apartment. She went to the kitchen and found some food that she took out so she could make dinner for Jack when he got home.

Jack called and told Audrey that he would be back at around six. Audrey started making dinner. When Jack got home, Audrey was putting the food on the table and poured some wine for them.

"God, it smells delicious," Jack said. Audrey smiled and sat Jack down at the table. She sat next to him. They both ate silently for a minute before anyone spoke.

"Jack," Audrey started. "What happened the day you left? I've only heard my father's story."

Jack explained everything that happened that day, and Audrey listened carefully. They had so much to talk about, but now they had all the time in the world.


End file.
